Hello there! English is not my native language so forgive me if my wording is weird or if my grammar has mistakes, I promise I'm trying my best here so pls let me know if I have smt to correct!

I'll try to update once a week.

Anyway, thanks for reading and reviews are always welcomed!

There were things that human beings were not able to easily understand or accept.

When it comes to something out of the ordinary for example. Or when it is something too surprising or shocking to understand.

For normal people, who live, study and work by day, the simple concept of vampires, immortal supernatural beings, who need to drink blood to feed themselves and who have many more abilities than mere mortals, was one of those things.

Mythical creatures that lurked in the night, waiting to hunt down their next victim and then leave their carcass unrecognizable? Ha, well, it couldn't be true. It was probably a serial killer. It wouldn't be the first time in the case of Gotham.

However, for people who were out at night or in the wee hours of the morning, who were caught off guard or careless, or who had simply stayed up for a day working late, it was an open secret.

An open secret because they simply refused to admit that they felt they were being watched, followed, as they walked back to their apartments through the old alleyways of the city.

To Damian, however, what was unbelievable to him at that moment was the fact that one of those creatures, ruthless and bloodthirsty by nature, was now helping him eliminate one of her own.

The woman, or girl, or old woman— difficult to know when those creatures stopped aging the moment they became an undead— had stopped a blow that threatened to be final with her bare hands. Her claws instead of nails protruded from her fingers and she bared her sharp fangs as she hissed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demanded to know, retrieving the sword he had dropped when he was struck and fell on his stomach.

She didn't turn to look at him, refusing to let go of her enemy.

"Just shut up and get this over with!" she yelled back at him.

The opponent, a vampire who had been murdering innocent people day after day for the past month, didn't back down an inch and only seemed to smugly smirk, showing the madness that the lack of control caused him.

"Ah, the treacherous princess and the hunter! Who would have thought, a first class dinner!"

The girl hissed, and looked back at him, the ground beneath her feet cracking and cracking under the force exerted by both creatures.

He didn't need to be a fortune teller to know that she wasn't going to hold out much longer. His pride was hurt, but that was not why he was going to act recklessly... again.

In a single movement, as well as taking momentum from the position he was in, Damian was up in a single leap, and as she released the vampire to make him fall forward, he smashed through the creature's chest in a single motion blow, taking out the heart and burning it with the silver alloy his sword was made of.

His opponent's eyes ceased to glow, soon turning to dust and disappearing into thin air, and Damian dropped to the ground, keeping an eye on the other invulnerable creature that was still in that old warehouse. She was watching him, too, out of the corner of her eye, very aware of him, breathing hard and kneeling, almost with her back to him, only a few feet away. Both were dirty, with dried blood on both their clothes and hair, exhausted. But unlike him, she didn't have any open wounds, and her presence was still as intimidating and alluring as it had been almost half an hour ago, when he'd first seen her.

An hour ago.

Hitting the accelerator, Damian pulled ahead of the few cars on Gotham's main highway leading out of the city. The speed at which he was going would probably draw the attention of the authorities, but the bat mark was something everyone was used to seeing, especially at night.

He heard some horns in the distance, but he didn't care when Barbara Gordon's voice came over his helmet intercom.

"Gee, kid, slow down a bit before you kill someone!" the redhead told him.

Damian rolled his eyes and, ignoring it, only accelerated more. They were both aware that when she was driving it was much worse after all.

"Just give me the information, Gordon," he demanded, dodging another car.

The virtual map, on the motorcycle's screen, gave him a clear direction to the outskirts of the city, but as far as Damian knew, there weren't many places out there for anyone to hide.

He heard Barbara laugh on the other end.

"You know even if you get there early, Bruce just wants you to watch until he and Dick get there."

Without answering, he imagined the girl leaning back in the batcave seat, folding her arms and considering the pros and cons of giving Damian what he asked for.

"That's what I'll do," he tried to sound as convincing as possible. He wasn't promising anything because they both knew anything could happen when it came to hunting down a vampire, but Damian hoped she understood. "Besides, I'll return the favor when it's my turn to stay in the cave."

"Well if you say so…" the smug smirk was obvious in her tone of voice, but not wanting to miss the opportunity, Damian let her continue. The sound of Barbara typing in the background. "Apparently it is an old and abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, close to the industrial zone. It was being used by some dealers, but I bet you anything they were already eaten or turned into servants—"

The images of the faces, along with some other irrelevant data such as their age and height, of said traffickers appeared momentarily on the visor of his helmet. There were four in all.

"Tell me about the vampire, Barbara."

"Oh, true," Damian shook his head, stopping his motorcycle just as he entered the old industrial area of the city and removing his helmet, leaving only the earbud. The engine would make a lot of noise, so it would be best to approach it on foot. "Bruce thinks this is the guy who's been kidnapping people for the past few weeks and leaving their bodies completely dry in the Gotham river. There are no clear images…"

Damian left her talking to herself for a few seconds, while he hid behind one of the walls and tried to see inside the warehouse. From where he was he could see two of the dealers. His movements were erratic, their skin pale and wrinkled. If they had noticed Damian's presence, then he would think they had been completely converted, but clearly, as Barbara had said, they were just servants.

Servants, lesser vampires, with no will of their own.

He fired his batclaw towards the ceiling and strategically positioned himself next to a broken window to get a better viewing angle. Luckily, the dust and mud accumulated by the rains and lack of maintenance would prevent him from being seen.

"There are five civilians," he said. "Three women, two men. No one is over 25 years old."

Barbara scoffed.

"Young blood to stay young," the typing sound came back. "I'll notify Bruce and Dick. They shouldn't take long—"

"Wait, there's someone else."

Damian narrowed his eyes as movement was sensed from the other side of the warehouse, to where he had almost no angle of vision. Probably the darkest area, as even the street lights didn't help.

The person who appeared was wearing a black hooded cloak. Her silhouette seemed to emerge from the shadows as she walked into the middle of the warehouse, her boots echoing loud enough for the servants to notice.

Damian swallowed, and the servants stood guard as she removed her hood, revealing her dark hair and the pale skin of her fingers. Barbara's voice had become an echo by now and Damian couldn't explain why.

The presence of that creature was strong and intimidating enough to take his breath away. The abducted humans would probably have fled like sheep from wolves by now if it weren't for the ropes holding them immobile, but Damian supposed that wasn't the reason. He'd had too hard training for it to be.

"I think I have her."

"Her?" the redhead repeated, her voice becoming slightly more anxious and breathy, as the signal seemed to start to falter. "Damian, wait—"

"I can't, she's getting closer to the civilians."

Damian knew he was being reckless. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword as proof of this, unusual for him, but soon took a deep breath. Thinking twice about things would only make those kidnapped people become that creature's dinner. He couldn't afford to wait for his father and Dick.

So, firing his batclaw strategically, he dropped down.

The sound of the window breaking and the pieces of glass hitting the ground made everyone look at him. His landing was clean and his gaze quickly sought out the vampire. If he killed her first, the servants would die with her.

She probably sensed his killing intent, for her purplish eyes soon widened and she leapt back as he charged, his sword barely skimming the edge of her cloak.

She also landed without a problem, gracefully Damian dared to say.

"I think you've got it wrong," she said then. Her voice sounding just as Damian had thought it would: jovial and full of a life she didn't have. "I'm not your enemy."

He narrowed his eyes and, stopping, raised his sword and pointed it at her. The creature conspicuously gulped as the brightness from outside reflected off of it.

"All vampires are enemies," he declared. "Especially those who murder innocents."

"Not me," she repeated, slowly and harshly, as if she had been angered by what he said. "I came for the same reason, hunter. To free these humans."

Damian almost laughed. Key word being almost, since, without warning, he lunged at her again.

"You really think I'm stupid, don't you?"

The vampire tried to leap away again, but Damian anticipated her move. She of course did not expect to be reached so quickly.

His sword collided with her claws and they repelled every blow he threw, sparking and shrilling sounds as if two metals were continually colliding.

Jumping back, they both decided to distance themselves for a moment and circled each other cautiously. Damian, walking to the left, where the civilians were, and the vampire towards where the servants were, who for some reason hadn't moved to her aid.

Damian smirked.

"Are you going to face me alone?" he asked.

She shrugged, glancing at the servants.

"They are not mine to command."

The statement was odd, but Damian didn't question it much as she charged forward, her claws cutting through the air.

He dodged and parried her attacks, his own weapons flashing in response. They moved quickly, their movements a blur as they battled back and forth.

Damian wasn't going to deny that he was having a hard time landing a solid blow. When it came to durability, it was no secret that vampires had the upper hand. However, she didn't seem to have been trained in any martial art. Her irregular breathing and the perplexity in her movements were proof enough of that.

So it didn't take long for him to see an opening in her position. Without hesitation, he lunged forward. His sword pointed directly at her heart.

But she moved at the last second, twisting her body slightly. Although it seemed wise, it was a clumsy move of last resort. Damian knew when her feet tangled and she grabbed him so hard they both fell to the ground.

He was more adroit, however, not letting go of his sword and thrusting it just inches from her face, using both that and his other hand for support. With his legs on either side of her body, their chests only inches apart, even as they both breathed heavily, he pinned her to the ground.

The vampire swallowed, her purplish eyes turning slightly crimson as Damian's blood began to spurt out in thick drops. Her claws had pierced the fabric of the arm of his uniform with such ease that it seemed like it was nothing special.

"You lose," he said. But before he could raise his sword once more for the finishing blow, a movement caught his attention and the creature below him widened her eyes as well.

With a single blow, she brushed him off just in time to prevent one of the servants from clawing him from behind.

Damian wanted to make a humorous comment, but the words caught in his throat as the other servants began attacking her as well, as if her strong presence had suddenly disappeared and she had lost control...

But he knew that was not the case. Servants would never attack their master, after all.

And a few seconds later, he understood why.

"Hm… The queen will be pleased if I add a hunter from the Bat Clan to our army," the guy seemed to speak more to himself as he moved slowly and gracefully towards Damian. From the corner of his eye, he could still see the female vampire fighting the servants, easily piercing their bodies and leaving holes in their chests as she ripped out their hearts. And he supposed that the newly arrived vampire was also watching them out of the corner of his eye, because with a disgusted face he added: "Kill that traitor. We don't need her."

Damian narrowed his eyes, firming his grip on his weapons.

Queen? Traitor?

He didn't have time to ask, when the vampire's crimson eyes rested shamelessly on him.

He sharpened his black claws and bared his fangs in a sinister grin, as if it wasn't entirely bizarre.

"Shall we start?"

That was how they had both ended up fighting the same enemy. She easily finishing off the servants that were blocking her way and he, using all his weapons and knowledge in combat to defeat that high-class vampire. The battle had lasted several minutes, but at least they were fine now.

Damian narrowed his eyes in her direction.

"Why did you help me?" he wanted to know.

The vampire shrugged.

"I already told you. I am not your enemy."

Damian watched her, trying to figure out what her plan was, or why she didn't run if she knew who was on the way, but she kept his gaze steady.

Call him crazy, but a part of him— a big part— believed her.

It wasn't until a minute later that the sirens of ambulances and police cars began to be heard. Or at least, Damian just heard them, since the creature in front of him didn't seem interested at all.

It didn't take many more seconds for the Batmobile to appear.

"Robin!" and a worried Dick Greyson, codenamed Nightwing, didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop to jump out and go over to him. "Are you okay?"

He dropped to one knee beside him as armed policemen began to surround the scene looking for more victims in addition to those already being helped by paramedics.

Damian frowned.

"You took much longer than Barbara said."

Dick smiled ruefully, but it was his father who answered.

"That's why you shouldn't act alone," his voice was stern as always, but soon his scowl shifted away from him to pay attention to the fourth person with them. "Who is she?"

Damian raised an eyebrow.

"Can't you tell?" Damian exhaled, curious that none of those who had arrived immediately felt the presence of the creature next to him. "She came to save the civilians, just like us."

Although she had already been watching them out of the corner of her eye, it wasn't until she turned fully towards them that Damian felt Grayson and his father tense beside him. It seemed that they had just grasped the nature of the woman.

"She's a vampire," the first one concluded, one hand ready to pull out any of his weapons if necessary.

Grayson wasn't a naturally aggressive person, but Damian was sure he'd rather attack first to defend his loved ones than wait for something worse to happen.

But the sudden hostility didn't weigh her down or intimidate her at all. Damian wondered if it was due to confidence in her strength, or if perhaps it was arrogance. However, he had to admit, it was something he found interesting.

Slowly, then, she rose to her feet, shaking her cloak and her knees, as if appearance were important at the moment.

Damian, for his part, also stood up. Perhaps Nightwing tried to help him, but he simply ignored him, his gaze fixed on the vampire.

"My name is Raven," she introduced herself, after a few seconds, swallowing and placing a hand on her chest. At no time did she lower her gaze. "And my goal is the same as yours. Please let me help."

There was a tense silence, which was only filled by the movements of the people around them. Damian looked at his father, and his father and Dick shared a look that, while impassive to the rest of the world, obviously said more than it let on.

It wasn't until the press cars and vans began to arrive that his father looked at the vampire again— at Raven.

"We'll talk about this later. With more privacy and with the others," his father said, cold as ever, returning to the Batmobile.

Grayson smirked and followed him. "You already heard him. Now, we have to go."

The cops barely paid attention as the two left the scene while trying to get reporters and photographers to respect the line with which they had marked the perimeter.

Damian looked at Raven.

"Brave of you to expose yourself in front of the leader of one of the most respected clans in the world," he said, folding his arms. Half joking, half flattery. He couldn't tell if it was a stupid and reckless move, or an effective and elaborate one, but at least it showed some of her determination.

She gave him a small, tight-lipped smile, perhaps sensing his initial intention, but when her eyes locked on another point on his body, the smile disappeared almost instantly.

"... Your arm…"

He raised both eyebrows, confused by what she was saying, but not without understanding. Her purplish eyes, this time without crimson sparkles, expressed clear concern and guilt. Damian felt weird just seeing that a vampire was capable of feeling those things, when everyone he'd fought seemed to enjoy the pain of others, to get stronger even.

"'I've been through worse," he replied simply, though the wound still burned. Alfred sure wouldn't be happy with the new scar added to his body, but it was something that came with the job.

Raven frowned, and he didn't elaborate.

He had to guide her to the cave.